<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Raise your hands if you were in the audience for one or both of the Measured Chaos shows at the Ontonagon Theater for the Performing Arts in the summer of 2005 or 2009.\u00a0 If you were, then this will be a re-introduction to the band\u2019s guitarist, harmonica player, lead vocalist, and leader, Al Jacquez.\u00a0 As of this writing, Al has been booked to perform as a solo artist at the OTPA on August 12, 2022.\u00a0 Theater coordinator Eric Hopper informs us the show will more than likely be indoors starting at 7:00 pm and if it turns out the show is moved outdoors, it would start at 6:30 pm.\u00a0 With that said, it isn\u2019t too early to introduce Al Jacquez to those of you who are not familiar with him as this will be a concert that you will not want to miss.\u00a0 It has been too many years since we were able to see Al perform in person so you can bet your bottom dollar I will be there with or without bells on.\u00a0 Odds are those who were at the shows mentioned above will also want to be there.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Before I get too far into Al\u2019s story, I am going to offer anyone interested an opportunity to get to know Al even more up-close and personal.\u00a0 Having booked two Measured Chaos shows at the OTPA, I can vouch for the cost of bringing musicians to the shores of Lake Superior.\u00a0 It took Al quite a bit of logistical planning to see if he could put together this summer\u2019s Upper Peninsula mini-tour without losing an arm and a leg.\u00a0 Al said he has done every size and type of performance one can think of from home to church to deck concerts.\u00a0 While he is in the area this August, he would be more than happy to book some supplemental shows to help cover his travel and lodging costs.\u00a0 As you read through the biographical information to follow, you may find a niche in your world that a custom made performance by Al Jacquez might fill.\u00a0 If interested, go to his web page at aljacquez.com and click on the \u2018book performance\u2019 tab or call him at (734) 216-7741.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As they say, \u201cNow, let\u2019s get on with the show.\u201d\u00a0 A recent visit to his web page provided the following account of Al\u2019s early years:\u00a0 \u201cI recall singing in the balcony with the church choir.\u00a0 School plays, talent shows, and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll bands soon followed.\u00a0 I acted with Junior Light Opera in Ann Arbor, sang and played guitar at fraternity parties and teen clubs, and attended theater classes at the U of M.\u00a0 Then. . . Savage Grace and the beginning of a very \u2018interesting\u2019 journey.\u201d\u00a0 We will come back to the \u2018interesting journey\u2019 in a bit.\u00a0 There is no way to condense what a varied musical career Al has had other than to cop the \u2018short list\u2019 he provides on his bio-page:\u00a0 \u201cI have sung with or for:\u00a0 The Hideaways, Dunning Maze, Savage Grace, Guardian Angel, Lightnin\u2019, Custom Eyes, The Suspects, The Conqueroots, Burning Circle, Eagle Tavern (Greenfield Village), The Miller Bros., Opera Lite, The 2 5 1 Orchestra, Northridge Choir, Measured Chaos, OneAchord, The Cross & the Light, Dick Wagner, Main Street Productions, and Abbott, Jacquez & Zodiac.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, this solo phase of Al\u2019s career \u2018ain\u2019t his first rodeo\u2019 to coin a phrase.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I first became aware of Al Jacquez in 1970 when he was the bass player \/ vocalist with the Detroit band Savage Grace.\u00a0 The tale has been told in this space before (most recently in <\/span>FTV:\u00a0 Live Shows Revisited 3-2-22<\/span><\/i>) so this is the shorthand version:\u00a0 I saw Savage Grace perform twice at Northern Michigan University.\u00a0 The first show was in the spring of 1970 and the second was in the fall of that same year.\u00a0 Besides Al, the band included guitarist \/ vocalist Ron Koss, keyboardist John Seanor, and drummer Larry Zack.\u00a0 My high school band, The Twig, plucked the song <\/span>1984<\/span><\/i> from their eponymous debut album (1969 on the Reprise label) and found it to be a big hit, particularly with frat party crowds.\u00a0 Between the recording of their first and second albums, the band relocated to Los Angeles (the second album taking nearly two years to finish), subsequently breaking up in 1972.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Savage Grace made the usual rounds for an upcoming band playing the Midwestern circuit of small clubs, ballrooms, colleges, high schools, and pop festivals.\u00a0 During this time, they opened for acts as varied as Three Dog Night, Procol Harum, Sha Na Na, The Moody Blues, and Small Faces to name a few.\u00a0 At one festival, Savage Grace found Yes, Soft Machine, and Alice Cooper opening for them.\u00a0 In the wake of their second album\u2019s release (May 1971) they toured with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and John Sebastian (Lovin\u2019 Spoonful, solo artist), both label mates at Reprise.\u00a0 Ron Koss and Jacquez reunited as Savage Grace in the late 1990s (this incarnation of the band included eventual Measured Chaos members Mark Gougon on bass and Bill Gordon on drums).\u00a0 They produced an album called <\/span>One Night in America <\/span><\/i>(aka <\/span>Savage Grace 3<\/span><\/i>) and performed live on several occasions.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Musicians come and go (sadly, Ron Koss died in 2004) but great music always seems to find a way to remain.\u00a0 The three Savage Grace albums are still available if one works the internet a bit.\u00a0 Al has also done some one-off concerts (in pre-COVID days) with a new Savage Grace line up that includes his Measured Chaos bandmates, Gougeon, Mark Tomorsky (guitar), and Frankie Charboneaux (drums) along with keys player Jim King.\u00a0 It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on those who make their living performing.\u00a0 We are still slowly working our way out of the performance vacuum created by the pandemic, so attending live events as they open up is important for audience and performers alike.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The year before Koss passed away, I had made contact with \u2018Al\u2019 at 33 ? Records and obtained a two CD set of the first two Savage Grace albums.\u00a0 It was at this point in time \u2018Al\u2019 sent me a copy of the first Measured Chaos album and I (being a little slow on the draw sometimes) finally realized my correspondent was \u2018Al Jacquez\u2019 whom I had first seen onstage in 1970.\u00a0 One thing led to another and by the summer of 2005, we had managed to dot the \u2018i\u2019s and cross the \u2018t\u2019s to bring Measured Chaos to Ontonagon for the first of two shows they would perform on that stage (again, a tale covered most recently in <\/span>FTV:\u00a0 Live Shows Revisited 3-2-22<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 Both shows were terrific and we had a lot of fun involving the student DJs at WOAS-FM who helped stage a live music event.\u00a0 The second show was really special because we were able to bring the entire Ontonagon Area Schools student body in grades 4 through 12 to see a matinee the afternoon before the evening show.\u00a0 It took a little finangling as the show date happened to fall on the first day of the school\u2019s final exam schedule, but it happened.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I still remember WOAS DJ Tommy Croteau smiling ear to ear from the front row and mouthing \u2018Best school assembly ever!\u2019 three songs into the set.\u00a0 The band exchanged smiles of their own when the house lights were brought up for a little Q&A session.\u00a0 Up to that point, the stage lights prevented them from seeing that virtually every seat in the theater was occupied.\u00a0 They took the time to answer questions, acknowledge the WOAS DJs and theater staff who helped put on the concert, and finished off the show to a thunderous ovation.\u00a0 While the buses were boarding to take everyone back to school, the band signed autographs and answered even more questions until the chaperones had to herd the rest back to school.\u00a0 In the archives, I have a great photo of Mark Tomorsky draping his Stratocaster on Mike Immonen\u2019s shoulders as they exchanged guitar player talk.\u00a0 Drummer Frankie said, \u201cOh next time, it would be great to come right to the school and do some workshops with the kids – they had so many great questions!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sadly, the live music industry took a serious downturn soon after the second Measured Chaos show.\u00a0 With two band members (Tomorsky and Charbonaux) living in Los Angeles and live music venues closing left and right, it became quite impossible for them to keep doing regular band gigs.\u00a0 In the intervening years, Al and I have been in contact off and on.\u00a0 When Al would have new music recorded, he would send me a file to listen to and air on WOAS.\u00a0 The video performance he sent of <\/span>Joy to the World<\/span><\/i> featuring a full church choir, band, and Al out front is still one of my favorite gospel music moments.\u00a0 Finding a clip of Al as a backup singer (and lead vocalist for the song <\/span>Sweet Jane<\/span><\/i>) at a tribute concert for the late Dick Wagner (The Frost, Alice Cooper) was also a treat.\u00a0 I was reminded the wide musical circle he has traveled when I recognized some of the faces in the tribute band but not the drummer:\u00a0 \u201cOh, that was Danny Seraphine from Chicago,\u201d was Al\u2019s reply.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mind you, as a musician and music lover from high school through college and into my adult years, I have had a few encounters with famous musicians, but most were fleeting affairs.\u00a0 Once again I will fall back on the \u2018I have told this tale previously\u2019 mode and give you the short versions.\u00a0 There was an animated discussion with The McCoy\u2019s Rick Derringer about backstage security at a Greek Week Festival at NMU\u2019s Hedgecock Fieldhouse when I was sixteen.\u00a0 I happened to be standing in a line of well wishers and got to shake BB King\u2019s hand at the same venue a couple of years later.\u00a0 The most recent was probably the stage-side conversation I had with Jimmy Carpenter who was playing sax and selling merchandise for Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers in the early 2000s.\u00a0 We got to the packed Great Lakes Room at NMU a bit late and ended up grabbing some folding chairs and plunking ourselves down next to the stage behind the right P.A. stack.\u00a0 Between tunes, Carpenter looked over at our exclusive seating section and said, \u201cHey, how y’all doing?\u00a0 Enjoying the show? Ya got the best seats in the house!\u201d\u00a0 Prior to booking Measured Chaos at the OTPA, I still found myself putting musicians on a higher plane than the rest of us mere mortals.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Al and I had run over the logistics of their first visit here but previous to meeting them at the theater to unload their gear, I only knew the other three band members from the photo on the <\/span>Measured Chaos Live <\/span><\/i>CD Al had previously sent me.\u00a0 I won\u2019t say I was apprehensive about meeting them, I just wasn\u2019t prepared for them to be \u2018real people\u2019 if you know what I mean.\u00a0 They could not have been more down to earth folk if they tried and it was obvious they were excited to be getting the chance to perform at the theater.\u00a0 I spent enough time hanging around with them at the theater to have some excellent one on one discussions with Al, Mark T, Mark G, and (of course) their original drummer Bill Gordon.\u00a0 When drummers meet, naturally they talk about drums, drummers, and drumming and to this day I am still sharing some of the anecdotes passed along by Bill.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The second go around in 2009 (with Frankie now replacing Bill who had moved down south for employment purposes), I was more relaxed around the band.\u00a0 Not wanting to be intrusive during their off time, I left them alone when they were not at the theater getting the show together.\u00a0 When Frankie later said, \u201cHey, you should have come up to the AmericaInn and had dinner with us,\u201d I realized I had missed an opportunity to learn a lot more about the guys in the band.\u00a0 The lesson was learned and over the years, I have made it a point to share more time (and a meal if the timing works out right) with other bands we have hosted at the theater like Trees, Kitty Donough, and The Rusty Wright Band.\u00a0 The lessons learned have also made my time volunteering stage side at the Porcupine Mountain Music Festival an enjoyable time to learn more about the musicians who appear there.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Now that we have covered the \u2018how Al Jacquez managed to perform in Ontonagon in the past\u2019 part of this story, let us catch up on what he has been up to more recently.\u00a0 I will let Al explain by lifting another section from his website:\u00a0 \u201cCurrently . . . I am singing my solo thang at public and private events, singing that Gospel Music with OneAchord, and singing and working with Abbott & Jacquez. (my note:\u00a0 \u2018Abbott\u2019 being Drew Abbott who performed many years with Bob Seger\u2019s Silver Bullet Band.)\u00a0 Please contact me if you have any questions.\u00a0 The calendar on this site begins with the dates that are furthest in the future, so please scroll to find current dates.\u00a0 I keep it up to date.\u201d\u00a0 Al is certainly a \u2018rolling stone\u2019 (as in \u2018gathering no moss\u2019) and the following quote from his Facebook page pretty well sums up his working career:\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve had a million jobs, I\u2019d rather just sing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So why is Al booking a solo show in Ontonagon?\u00a0 I asked him that very question and he responded, \u201cI truly enjoyed singing in Ontonagon.\u00a0 The folks are so hospitable, the venue is marvelous.\u00a0 The fact that we have corresponded and become friends is another reason.\u00a0 I had this cwazee idea about a tour.\u00a0 I have \u2018discovered\u2019 the joys of \u201cOne Voice, One Guitar\u201d and the amazing number of incredible songs that I never sang in the past.\u00a0 When good friends who summer at Torch Lake offered a concert, I said yes, and that germinated the idea of a mini-tour.\u00a0 Ontonagon seemed like a great way to end the tour.\u00a0 I am still working on adding dates.\u00a0 So far I have private gigs, a restaurant\/pub gig, a Church service, and the Ontonagon gig.\u00a0 I am hoping to add a house concert with Drew Abbott\u201d.\u00a0 With that said, you can see I wasn\u2019t kidding when I said you have an opportunity to get to know Al even better if you want to add another date to his calendar.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So there you have it:\u00a0 Al Jacquez is returning to Ontonagon and we can only hope that it will not be for the last time.\u00a0 It was interesting he mentioned Drew Abbott, formerly of Bob Seger\u2019s Silver Bullet Band.\u00a0 Not long after the second time Measured Chaos visited Ontonagon, I had made contact with Drew Abbott and inquired about getting the band he was gigging with out of Traverse City to the Ontonagon Theater.\u00a0 The timing wasn\u2019t right and we couldn\u2019t put the pieces together for that one, but who knew Al and Drew were doing shows together from time to time?<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0WOAS-FM 88.5 will be on summer hiatus in August, but we will come out of mothballs early and spin as much \u2018Al\u2019 music as we can the week before his Ontonagon show.\u00a0 The week after Al\u2019s show at the OTPA, we will be right on schedule to begin airing Porcupine Mountain Music Festival artists in the run up to the much anticipated return of the PMMF August 26 & 27, 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 From 2014, Al J singing lead vocals on Dick Wagner’s Mystery Man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Raise your hands if you were in the audience for one or both of the Measured Chaos shows at the Ontonagon Theater for the Performing Arts in the summer of 2005 or 2009.\u00a0 If you were, then this will be a re-introduction to the band\u2019s guitarist, harmonica player, lead vocalist, and leader, Al Jacquez.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11,8,6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-new-music","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2477"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2480,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477\/revisions\/2480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}